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I glanced over at Zach, and he was watching London with his hands crossed at his chest and the proudest smile known to man on his face. I'd seen Zach being into girls before, and I'd seen him with his first fiancée, Isabella, when he discovered puppy love, but now he was straight up pussy whipped. It was my favorite thing to watch, honestly.
"And you want me to look at his neurological function, Zach?"
"Hm? Sorry, I spaced out." See? Pussy whipped. "Yes, I would really appreciate if you'd fix his hand so I can go back to pumping antibiotics into his lungs."
He could be such a jackass.
"Not professional, Dr. Ford." I said and shook my head, disapproving of his crass lack of protocol.
"It's fine. Johnny is one of the boys. He won't tell anything to Sadin."
I continued shaking my head and looking into the chart. I had set foot back in the hospital less than fifteen minutes ago, and things had already started to move in a hectic cadence. Medicine might scare a lot of people, but for most of us who did it, it was like therapy. For the first time since meeting Rita, I was not thinking about all the things that could go wrong because of my dumb decision to pick up a woman I literally found in the street and deceive her to be a part of my life. The problem was still there, but at least now I got a second to breath, gather my thoughts and find a way to get my life in check, keep Rita but also give her freedom.
Zachary gave me a tablet with the electronic chart, and I took it greedily. I didn't lie when I said it was a good thing to stay home and spend time with my daughter and consume all that passion with a hot Cuban woman, but, man, I'd missed this so much.
"All his scans and blood work are in his chart."
"Mhm, and nothing popped up on his MRI."
"No, we didn't look any further because I wanted someone from neuro for a second opinion. Luckily, you found it in you to get your ass back to work."
When I started college, I made two friends: Zach and another dude called Mark. Mark was a great guy, calm, content and just pleasant to be around, but he and Zach never clicked. They were like water and oil, mostly because Zach was a pretentious prick, so I dropped the nice friend. And now I was stuck with the asshole.
"London," I said, getting the attention of the nurse, "remember that time when Zach kissed his ex in the hospital lobby?"
Her smile faded, and all the color drained from Zachary's face. I had just ruined his day, and I was not even sorry; it was nice to see another soul tortured for a change. He knows I’m joking, it’s my job to remind London to yank his chain from time to time.
Zach made a lot of mistakes in the past year; love fucked him up hard, and he took it out on London. She was still making him pay for it with every occasion she got. They were engaged, but she refused to move in with him yet; she didn’t want to set a date or do anything ‘rushed.’ I may or may not have given her the idea.
By the time I was done examining the patient, I was positive Zach was plotting to end my life soon. The three of us finally stepped outside the room where London gave me hug.
"It's good to have you back, James. Zach got bored in your absence, and I had to pay the price."
He cut in with his cocky chest puffed out.
"Are you complaining, Calgary? I thought you enjoyed all the sex."
She punched him, and I laughed.
"Zach, stop being a dick to her so we can go back to doing our jobs. I want to give Johnny a few extra tests to see his sensitivity to strong stimulus. He might have clipped a nerve when he fell. Do you think you could clear him if I have to operate?"
"Yes, but I'll be in the OR too. I want to keep an eye on his respiratory functions."
"Fine, I'll have Mary pencil him in for tests and a new set of bloodwork right away."
Mary was my scrub nurse and my right hand, and I was sure right now she hated my guts. I dumped everything on her when I took time off.
I parted ways with Zach and London and went to my office, paging Mary and opening my files to check what I'd missed. In a couple of minutes, the nurse, a kind looking woman in her fifties with fiery red hair, knocked on the door and walked into my office.
"Dr. Sullivan, it is so good to have you back. You owe me for keeping this department functional. Did you know all the residents you have are very unorganized and forgetful?"
A low laugh escaped me. Mary was a no-bullshit kind of person, and I pitied those who tried to mess with her and her very tight schedules in my absence.
"I feel like I owe you an apology, Mary. You had a lot to deal with because of my leave."
"Yes, doctor, I did, and on top of that, you can add that menace, Dr. Ford, who came by everyday just to piss me off. Next time you plan a vacation take him with you."
Duly noted. Next time I took time off, I'd make sure to sign Zach up for a cooking for one course, or something to keep him distracted.
